Various types of dies for stamping/forming sheet parts from sheet metal have been developed. Such dies are typically custom made to produce a particular part by a skilled tradesman. Numerous components of such dies are often made from hot-roll steel plate. Such components are typically rough-cut from a large plate of hot-roll steel utilizing a flame-cutting process, and the upper and lower surfaces of the plate are ground flat in a “Blanchard” grinder or the like. Die shops typically receive the rough-cut component from the supplier with flat ground parallel upper and lower surfaces, and a rough-cut perimeter having the approximate size and shape of the finished stripper or other such component. In general, hot-roll steel plate and the like can be rough cut more quickly and economically by flame-cutting than by sawing or the like. Thus, flame-cutting the part to the approximate final shape and size reduces the amount of labor by a skilled tradesman that would otherwise be required.
Typically, the rough-cut part/work piece must be further machined to form the various openings and other precision-machined features required for the particular die component being fabricated. Such plates often require machining operations to be performed on both the upper and lower side surfaces. To achieve this, the work piece is first clamped to the bed of a machine tool and machined on a first side. After completion of the machining operation on the first side of the part, the part is then flipped over and machined on the other side. The features machined into both sides of the part often need to be located precisely relative to one another, and the process of setting up the plate after flipping it over therefore tends to be time-consuming because the plate needs to be precisely located (“set up”) utilizing the features previously machined into the component. This set-up time results in not only extra labor on the part of the die maker or machinist, but also results in down time for the machine during the set-up operation.
Accordingly, a way to alleviate the drawbacks associated with prior arrangements for machining components made of hot-roll steel would be beneficial.